When Digital Needs Are Not Enough: Social Norms, Digital Consumption, and Well-Being through an Islamic Ethical Lens

Intan Kusuma Pratiwi (Universitas Islam Negeri Mataram)
Ulfatun Hasanah (Universitas Islam Negeri Mataram)
Nur Awwalunnisa (Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia)

Sharia Economic and Management Business Journal (SEMBJ)
Vol. 7 No. 3 (2026): Sharia Economic and Management Business

Background: Digital technology has become increasingly integral to contemporary society, raising questions about whether digital needs function as basic needs that directly contribute to well-being. However, existing studies have not fully explained whether digital need priority influences well-being directly or whether this relationship depends on digital consumption behavior and digital well-being. Research Gap: Most previous research views the relationship between digital needs and well-being as straightforward, assuming increased digital priorities automatically impact individual well-being. This approach tends to ignore the possibility that digital consumption behavior may play a role in explaining the relationship between need orientation and psychological outcomes. Furthermore, social factors are often overlooked in explaining why digital needs become a priority. Novelty: This study re-examines the role of digital need priority by integrating social norms, digital motivation, digital consumption behavior, and digital well-being. It conceptualizes digital need priority as a cognitive-evaluative orientation rather than as a proxy for access or use intensity, distinguishing instrumental and hedonic digital consumption behaviors. Method: A quantitative cross-sectional design was employed. Data were collected through a survey of 156 urban respondents who actively used digital technology. The proposed model was analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). Results: Digital need priority does not significantly influence digital well-being, either directly or indirectly through digital consumption behavior. Instead, both instrumental and hedonic digital consumption behaviors significantly enhance digital well-being. Digital well-being subsequently increases subjective well-being and reduces stress. Subjective norm, rather than digital motivation, significantly shapes digital need priority. Conclusion: Digital needs may function more as socially influenced priorities than as direct determinants of well-being. Improving well-being in the digital era requires not only access to technology but also balanced, purposeful, and healthy digital consumption practices. From an Islamic ethical perspective, digital well-being requires purposeful and balanced use that advances maslahah while avoiding israf.